Ballon d'Or: 10 players who could have won if Messi and Ronaldo did not exist

The Ballon d'Or 2017 award is all set to be announced on Thursday and once again it is the familiar duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi who are competing for the prestigious individual prize.

Having completely dominated the award since 2008, the duo has cemented their legacy as two of the greatest players to ever play the game. However, during this era, there have been plenty of other players who have come up with some extraordinary performances.

We take a look at 10 players who could have won the Ballon d'Or if they were not born in the same era as Messi and Ronaldo:

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#10 Fernando Torres

Torres took the Premier League by storm with his stunning performances in 2007/08

Far before his struggles at Chelsea, Fernando Torres had firmly established himself as one of the best strikers in the game. Moving to Liverpool from his boyhood club, Atletico Madrid in 2007, the Spaniard immediately hit the ground running scoring some spectacular goals along the way and inspiring Liverpool to some stunning performances in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

In the calendar year of 2008, Fernando Torres was quite simply one of the most feared goalscorers in world football. Going past defenders with ridiculous ease and scoring all kinds of goals, Torres quickly became a firm fan favourite at Liverpool. He even scored Spain's 2008 Euro winning goal with a lovely dinked finish against Germany.

However, that very season, Ronaldo was in stunning form for Manchester United. The Portuguese superstar was quite clearly the best player in the world and although Torres was nominated for the Ballon d'Or award, he could only end up coming third behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Torres in 2007-2009 was quite simply impossible to defend against!

#9 N'golo Kante

N'golo Kante helped pull off the greatest football miracle

Leicester City shocked the footballing world when they managed to win the Premier League title in 2015/16 season under Claudio Ranieri. While Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez ran away with most of the plaudits, one man who was indispensable for the side was the diminutive French midfielder, N'golo Kante.

In 2016, Kante was arguably the best midfielder in world football. Capable of reading the game supremely, Kante's positioning, interception skills and stamina made him a vital cog in the team.

Securing a move to Chelsea on the back of his wonderful performances with Leicester City, Kante showed his class by securing the PFA Player of the year award and guiding Chelsea to the Premier League title.

One of the most underappreciated players in the game, Kante certainly deserved to win the prestigious individual prize.

#8 Antoine Griezmann

Antoine Griezmann missed out on a number of awards narrowly in 2016

One of the most in-demand players in world football at the moment, Antoine Griezmann has certainly established himself as a top quality world class player in the last few years. Undoubtedly the best forward in France, Griezmann had an excellent 2016 year where he scored close to 40 goals and guided both Atletico and France to the Champions League and Euro 2016 final respectively.

However, in both the matches he came up short against Cristiano Ronaldo's teams losing out on two important trophies and the prestigious Ballon d'Or award as well. Having finished 3rd last year, the Frenchman has been nominated this year as well, but it looks highly unlikely that he will claim the top prize.

Quick, innovative and blessed with excellent technical ability, Griezmann certainly has all the ingredients of a complete forward, but the Frenchman will unfortunately never claim the top prize till Ronaldo and Messi continue to perform at the very highest level.

#7 Manuel Neuer

Neuer is among the top goalkeepers of this generation

A goalkeeper?! Best player in the world? Seriously? Those are the questions which people ask whenever Neuer’s name for an individual prize comes up. By far the best and most consistent goalkeeper in the last 7 years, Neuer had a particularly strong case to win the Ballon d’ Or in 2014 having won silverware with both club and country.

Since 1963, only 3 goalkeepers have ever made the final 3 spots. Legendary goalkeeper Lev Yashin remains the only shot-stopper till date to win the prestigious prize, while Buffon narrowly missed out on the top prize in 2006. However, Neuer certainly deserved the top prize especially after his top-notch performances in the World Cup.

Having revolutionised the art of goalkeeping with his sweeper-keeper style of play, Neuer not only adapted brilliantly to then manager Pep Guardiola’s style of building from the back, he also showcased his excellent shot stopping skills and reflexes in the World Cup against France and Algeria.

After all, the World Cup is the most important tournament in football and Neuer was simply superb in FIFA’s showpiece event in Brazil.

#6 Franck Ribery

Franck Ribery is one of the greatest Bayern Munich players of all time

Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery really thought he had a chance to break the duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2013 following his impressive performances in Bayern Munich’s incredible treble-winning season.

Full of pace, trickery and skills, the Frenchman played a decisive role often cutting apart the opposition with his slick moves and incisive crosses even playing a starring role in Bayern’s stunning victory over Barcelona in the semi-final.

With many pundits backing the Bayern Munich man to win the top gong, Ribery was left bitterly disappointed when Ronaldo won it even calling the Ballon d’Or prize political in a stunning outburst. Speaking in 2014, Ribery said:

"I learned a lot during last year's Ballon d'Or gala (2013) As soon as I got there, I told my wife that I would lose," he told Bild.

"I saw how Sepp Blatter was hugging Ronaldo and how his entire family was there. I'm not stupid. It was clear that he had to win it. He wouldn't have brought his entire family with him otherwise.

"But I fear it will be about politics again. The Ballon d'Or is no longer for the best player. It's all about politics. Fabio Cannavaro won it in 2006 because he won the World Cup, that's all.

It is clear to see that Ribery did not take his loss very well. But then, there is no denying the fact that the Frenchman was absolutely on fire in 2014.

#5 Wesley Sneijder

Sneijder was the architect of Inter's incredible treble in 2010

One of the most complete players of his generation, Dutchman Wesley Sneijder was the odds-on favourite to claim the Ballon d’Or prize in 2010. The architect of Inter Milan’s famous treble season under Jose Mourinho and an invaluable member of the Dutch team which made it to the World Cup final, Sneijder was definitely tipped to be in at least the 3 man shortlist in 2010.

However, in what came as a shock, the Dutchman was completely ignored from the 3 man shortlist with Barcelona's legendary trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi making the final cut. Capable of playing as a deep-lying playmaker or as a number 10, Sneijder dictated his side’s play and was quite often the difference between victory and defeat.

Sneijder's impact that year could be seen from the fact that even Barcelona legend Xavi was unhappy with the fact that he was left out of the top 3. Speaking to Sport in 2010, Xavi had said:

"As for Sneijder, I know that in Italy they are angry because he is not one of the finalists. I can only agree with them. The Dutchman has had a fantastic year," he said.

Sneijder would certainly have won the Ballon d'Or in 2010 if a certain Lionel Messi did not exist.

#4 Andrea Pirlo

Pirlo is one of the classiest players to ever play the game

The first thing which comes to mind when you think about Andrea Pirlo is class. The Italian midfielder ran the show for Italy and Juventus since 2010 and he was among the world's best players consistently from 2011-2014. Calm, composed and always making the right decision on the ball, Pirlo almost single-handedly (with a bit of help from Mario Balotelli) dragged the Italian national team to Euro 2012 final.

The supreme playmaker was also one of the most important reasons for Juventus' revival as a Serie A superpower, firmly establishing himself as one of the world's best central midfielders under the guidance of Antonio Conte.

A dead ball specialist, Pirlo not only assisted plenty of goals, he also scored some absolutely spectacular free-kicks and was a role model both on and off the pitch. Although Pirlo could only manage a 7th place finish in the 2012 Ballon d'Or awards, the Italian midfielder would certainly have claimed the game's most prestigious individual prize if he was part of a different era.

Sit back and enjoy the genius of Andrea Pirlo

#3 Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez was arguably the best striker in world football from 2013-2017

The Barcelona number 9 has arguably taken his game to new heights ever since he completed a big-money transfer from Liverpool to Catalonia. Scoring and setting up goals for fun, Suarez even outscored Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann in the La Liga during the 2015/16 season scoring 40 goals in 35 games, and winning the Pichichi award.

Supremely talented and tenacious, Luis Suarez always gives more than a 100% on the pitch. Known for his direct running and skilful dribbles, Luis Suarez tormented defenders all over Europe nutmegging them at will and scoring some spectacular goals as well.

While there is no doubting that Messi was Barcelona's talisman, the Uruguayan superstar not only outscored his more illustrious team-mate, Lionel Messi in LaLiga, he even topped the assist leaderboard.

In any other era, people would have been hailing the genius of Suarez, but his past misdemeanours and Messi's and Ronaldo's brilliance saw Suarez only claim the 4th place in the 2016 Ballon d'Or awards.

Luis Suarez also almost singlehandedly guided Liverpool to the 213/14 League title.

#2 Andres Iniesta

Andres Iniesta has been absolutely vital for both Barcelona and Spain

Barcelona legend and midfield maestro Andres Iniesta is perhaps one of the few footballers who can genuinely claim to be as good and technically gifted as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The Barcelona legend has won numerous individual accolades in his career. Iniesta won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award in 2012, and was also chosen as the Best Player in the 2011-12 Champions League. However, he has always narrowly missed out on the game's top individual prize, the Ballon d'Or finishing 2nd in 2010 and 3rd in 2012.

One of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game, Iniesta arguably played as much a role in Barcelona's success as Messi. Supremely creative and technically perfect, the Spanish legend is coming to the end of his amazing career and it is a tragedy that the genius of Iniesta's career has not been crowned with a Ballon d'Or award.

#1 Xavi Hernandez

Xavi is arguably the greatest midfielder of all time

Considered by many to be the greatest Spanish player ever, Xavi Hernandez is truly one of the best midfielders to ever play the game.

Having won all the major trophies club and international competition has to offer, Xavi has carved a unique place for himself in the pantheon of footballing greats. The Spaniard’s vision, pinpoint accurate passing and world class ball control allowed him to dictate the flow of play while rarely relinquishing possession.

Pulling the strings in midfield, Xavi was the lynchpin in Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Barcelona team and Spain’s World Cup and two-time Euro winning squad. Having made more than 180 assists in his stellar career, Xavi is definitely one of football’s all-time greats.

In 2009, while Lionel Messi ran way with all the plaudits for his miraculous performances under Pep Guardiola, the man silently and perhaps more important to the tiki-taka style of play was Xavi. His best chance was in 2011 when he was quite simply the best midfielder and arguably the best player in the world.